All Moved

I am all moved into the new place. It's different being here. There are pros and cons just like with anything in life. I love that I am saving a ton of money on rent. I plan to save a large portion of this each month. I increased my 401k contributions from 8% to 10%. I just reached $10,000 in my 401k. I am very excited about this. Including my employer match I now have 15% going into my 401k. I did increase my food budget slightly to allow for more fruits and veggies. Once I get a better feeling for where expenses will be every month, I will post my new budget.

It's weird to have a roommate again. It's nice at times and not so great at other times. I like having someone around to talk to and split the bills with. I don't like that I have to make sure to put my food and items which I want for myself in certain cupboards so she knows they are just for me. I also have to share everything. I just have to think about all of the money I am saving if I get frustrated.

My new salary for the new job should be on my paycheck this week. That is also very exciting. This money will also be going to savings. I am still hoping to pay my car off in January. I would like to pay a good chunk in September in order to cut down on interest costs. I love the new job so far. The department has a great group of people.

The moving went okay. My family and friends were great. The movers did the large furniture items. They made good time and came in a little under what I had budgeted, but they damaged two items. I am not impressed with that. I filed claims for the items and am currently waiting to hear back from them. They better call soon!

My plans for the next few weeks are to finish getting settled into the new apt, study lots, catch up on sleep, and spend as little as possible. I have to pay off moving and my trip the weekend before.

Wedding and Moving

The wedding last weekend was good. It was nice to get away. The best part of traveling with family who insist on paying for things means spending very little money. I feel bad when they pay for everything, but at times they were hostile if you refused to let them.

Tomorrow is moving day!!! I am hoping my internet is up an working again very soon at the new place. I am still working on packing right now. It always takes longer than you think. Being out of town the past two weekends has not helped my progress either.

Weekend Spending

One advantage of going home is that I usually don't end up spending much money. All meals are at my parent's house. We tend to grill a lot when I am there which I love. Since I don't see them very often we spend time visiting which is also free.

My brother liked his graduation gift which was great. I came in right on budget for that. I gave my dad his Father's Day present early since it was the only relaxing weekend I would be seeing him. I will see him for about an hour this weekend while traveling for my cousin's wedding. Next weekend he is helping me move. I decided neither of those were the best weekends to give him his present.

I have bee trying to spend as little as possible with the expenses of traveling for the wedding this weekend and moving next weekend. I hope to spend under $200 total this weekend. My hotel and airplane ticket are already taken care of. I put a deposit down for the move, but I am not totally sure how much additional I will have to pay. They bill by the quarter hour after the first two hours. I am hoping it's three hours at the most. I am about 75% packed.

I started training in the new department this week. It's a big change from what I have been doing. I think it will be a good change though. I should see my pay increase in my check in two weeks. I sure hope it's there! We are having a goodbye lunch in my current department tomorrow. It's going to be sad to leave them all, but this is a good choice for my career.

Miscellaneous Updates

What a week! I am exhausted and it's only Wednesday! I have managed to pack up a lot of my apartment. Most of what I have left is stuff that's harder to pack. Books, movies, pillows, etc. are all easy to pack. I wish I had more of those things. I am getting anxious to just move and get settled in my new place. I have been throwing and donating as much as I can. I gave a bag of clothes to someone I work with. I am going to see if my brother wants some kitchen items I don't use anymore. It feels good to get rid of things. I just wish I could part with more!

I have been putting a lot of time in at work this week. I am heading home for a long weekend, so I need to be caught up prior to that. I am starting to train people on my work in anticipation for switching departments in a little under two weeks. I am ready for a change!

I have been trying not to spend money, but it's hard sometimes. I went to a baseball game last weekend. We sat in the cheap section though. I am traveling with a friend this weekend, so we will be able to split the gas costs for going home. That helps since I have to travel for a wedding next weekend and moving the next. I am trying out mint.com. I am not sure what I think yet. I would like to simplify my budgeting an money management, but I can't seem to find a way to do that yet. Maybe once July comes and I have more time to devote to things like this I will be able to figure something out.

I am trying to fit working out and studying in, but it's so hard right now. I am thinking about pushing my test date out a week or two.

Preparing to Move

I have a lot going on in the next month. I got boxes this weekend so I can start packing. I am hoping to go through most of my things prior to moving. It's hard to get rid of things, but I know there are some items which I should part with now instead of moving them. Until recently I have never felt like I have too much, but I have always thought I have had enough. Then things changed. In looking at how many things I have to move, I started wondering why I have so much.

I sold one piece of furniture this past week to a couple in my building. They were very happy to find something to use for a couch in their living room and I was glad to get rid of my futon. I was sad to see it go, but I think it's for the best. I don't have room for it in the new apartment. As I helped carry the futon down to their apartment, I realized they only had a TV and a TV stand in their living room. They didn't have a dining room table or any other furniture. It really made me think about things. I am very grateful to have the furniture I do. There are many people who live with a lot less than I do, but there are also people with a lot more. I think I have more than enough for me.

I also need to get cable and internet setup. The rest of my time will be spent preparing for a wedding I am going to, studying, and transitioning to new job. All in addition to packing and moving. I am trying to limit my spending as much as I can. I stayed in this weekend to accomplish things but also to save money.

Limit Spending

I am working hard to limit my spending lately. I have wanted to go shopping, but so far I have not let myself. My friends keep talking about how I will have more money to spend once I move since my rent will be decreasing significantly due to having a roommate again. I however, do not intend to spend more money just because my rent will be reduced. I am hoping to save this money. My gas costs will go up a little bit due to having a further drive to work each day. I also plan to give myself a little more for my food budget so I can purchase more fruits and veggies as those are what seem to hurt my budget each month. I am planning to put the rest in savings.

I will also see an increase in my income around the same time as the move, so as of right now I don't know exactly how much more I will be making each month after taxes. I am planning to increase my 401k contributions when my new salary starts.

My hope is to save as much as possible so I can pay my car off early next year. I also want to save to move elsewhere at some point. I am still not set on staying in this area, but I am also not completely sure where I want to move to. I have some ideas, but I don't want to do anything until the economy turns around. It's too big of a risk to take. I am hoping to visit a few more places I am interested in in the next year or two. Moving to a new area would be scary and a challenge, but I don't feel like this area is the ideal place for me. You never know what will happen in the next few years though.

I will post an updated budget once I have a better idea of how much I will be making and what my utility costs will be at the new apartment.

Planning to Move

Even though we found a place to live a few weeks ago, there are still a lot of other things to do prior to moving. I decided on a moving company and put a deposit down to hold my day and time. I am just having them move the large items. I will be moving small items and boxes myself. I hate spending the money on this, but it's just something I have to do. I will recover this cost in less than one month due to having a roommate once I move, so it's not too bad.

We also need to decide on cable. I would like to get that appointment scheduled because I need to have internet as soon as I move in so I can study for my exam. I scheduled an appointment to sign the lease and pick up the keys when we are moving in. It's nice to have some of this done, but what really scares me is thinking about packing. I don't feel like I have that much, but I have more than enough to move. I am hoping to get rid of some things prior to moving.

I have a lot I want to get done over the next few weeks since things will get very busy soon. I will be starting my new job, moving, and studying a ton in the next month. It will be interesting to see how it all goes.